Delivering impact on a local, national, and global scale

Our expertise enables STFC’s vision and ensures that facilities like ISIS Neutron and Muon Source or RAL Space can deliver their projects. Projects which promise real-world impact, like developing technology needed to meet the Government’s net-zero goals or mitigate the potentially harmful effects of space weather.

However, as one of STFC’s National Laboratories, our impact stretches beyond our sites in Harwell and Warrington. We are a trusted partner to a host of national and international science facilities and continue to expand our engagement with new partnerships across the UK.

Broadly, the impact of our technologies can be broken down into two categories: scientific breakthroughs and real-world impact. A great example of technology which straddles both these categories is HEXITEC (High Energy X-ray Imaging Technology).

HEXITEC detectors can be installed at facilities like Diamond Light Source (DLS) or the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility to enable scientific research through access to spectroscopic X-ray Imaging techniques. For example, one of our detectors was used on a beamline at DLS to test the feasibility of a new synchrotron-based elemental imaging technique, which has potential applications in metallurgical and materials science.

However, commercially available HEXITEC detectors have also been incorporated into technology that has impacts outside of the scientific community. For instance, one of our detectors was incorporated into a SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) system for pre-clinical radiopharmaceutical research.

Unlike traditional medical imaging, nuclear medicine can reveal functional processes in the body, rather than showing simple anatomy like an MRI or CT scanner. Imagine a doctor imaging cancer while it’s being treated with radiation, ensuring better outcomes for the patient.

This is without mentioning the impact of our work developing the next generation of STEM talent, through initiatives such as STFC’s Graduate, Apprentice, and Industrial Placement programmes.

Read our project showcases to learn more about our impact.

It is true that without the great minds of Nobel Prize winners, their breakthroughs would not be possible. But it is also important to note that many people contribute innovations that enable these amazing discoveries, including us here at Technology.

We worked with colleagues from STFC Particle Physics and the international community on the development of instruments for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. For instance, we delivered technology for the ATLAS semiconductor tracker, including the design of the proximity cryogenics system, end cap toroid magnets, and L1 trigger system. In 2013, Francois Englert and Peter W. Higgs won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their theoretical discoveries related to the Higgs boson. This achievement would not have been possible without the ATLAS and CMS experiments, both of which we contributed to.

We also designed, prototyped, manufactured, delivered and then oversaw the assembly and commissioning of 15 quadrupole suspensions and seven beam splitters for Advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory) in the US. This instrumentation enabled observations which were foundational to the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics, won by Kip Thorne, Barry Barish, and Rainer Weiss, which celebrated contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.

Finally, we played a major role in the development of cryo-electron microscopy, for which Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2017. Using knowledge gained from building detectors for the Large Hadron Collider, we were the first team worldwide to successfully image 300keV electrons with sub-pixel imaging resolution. Our contribution was even recognised in Richard Henderson’s award acceptance speech back in 2017.

We have worked with a myriad of large scientific organisations, including CERN, the European Spallation Source, Fermilab, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, European Space Agency, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Large Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, to name just a handful.

We also work with organisations closer to home, like STFC’s Central Laser Facility, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, RAL Space, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, and Accelerator Science Technology Centre.

Read our project highlights to discover more collaborations.

We commission periodic external audits and participate in whole-department reviews approximately every four years. This ensures that, among other things, we understand the value of our work and continue to operate in line with STFC’s key objectives. In addition, we regularly assess the social and economic value of our activity through the management of individual projects, and the project highlights we share with STFC’s Executive Board. Our staff working in business operations, business development, and quality management teams also play a key role in monitoring and assessing our outputs.

Read about STFC’s objectives in the strategic delivery plan and learn more about the value of our work in our project showcases.

At STFC, we are dedicated to inspiring and involving people with our research and technology. Thanks to our extremely passionate Public Engagement Group, we frequently engage with schools and the public to promote STEM subjects. This includes supporting major events, like Harwell and Daresbury Open Weeks, open-door events which invite the public to our campuses to see science up close, and long-running initiatives like the Engineering Experience Programme, pairing groups of A-level students with an STFC Graduate mentor to tackle a hands-on engineering challenge.

Visit Science Up Close to explore our public engagement events, resources, and activities.